


The Cat's Meow

by egg_rolls



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-24 00:07:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13799214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/egg_rolls/pseuds/egg_rolls
Summary: A retelling of Before the Storm. The biggest difference? Rachel can turn into a lion.





	1. Out of the Bag

**Author's Note:**

> Eliot Hampden doesn’t exist. I traded him for Chloe’s virginity. Good deal.

“What’s your third thing?”

Rachel blinked.

“My third thing?”

“Two truths and a lie. You say three things---”

“Right!” Rachel exclaimed, and then smiled. “I’m a lion.”

It was Chloe’s turn to blink.

“What?”

“I’m a lion.”

“You mean, you’re a Leo?”

“That, too. Want to see?”

Chloe snorted.

“Yeah, okay, go turn into a giant cat.”

“Awesome,” Rachel said, springing to her feet.

“What are you---” Chloe started to ask, her question cut off when Rachel’s blue flannel hit her square on the face. “Hey, what the hell,” she growled, freeing herself from the plaid prison just in time to see Rachel pulling her shirt over her head. “What the fuck, why are you stripping!”

“So I don’t rip my clothes, obviously,” Rachel calmly explained, reaching behind her back. “Here, catch.”

Whatever protest Chloe had died when a blue bra hit her face. It fell to her lap, along with Rachel’s shirt and flannel. She squeaked, whirling around and turning her back on Rachel.

“If you wanted to bang, you could have just asked, God!” she blurted out, getting a laugh in response, followed by Rachel’s pants, which landed on her head, and then Rachel’s panties - a perfect match to the bra - which sailed over her shoulder and joined the pile on her lap.

“Don’t you think you’re moving too fast, Price?” Rachel teased.

One shoe dropped, and then the other, followed by what sounded like accessories.

“You’re the one getting naked!” Chloe snapped, and when there came no witty comeback, she rolled her eyes. “Fine, you want me to turn around, I’m turning the fuck around,” she decided, and began to do just that, her eyes closed.

When Rachel still didn’t say anything, Chloe opened one eye. There was a lion sitting in front of her. She opened her other eye. The lion was still there. It had gold eyes. It wasn’t a cub, nor was it fully grown, like it was a teenager.

“... Rachel?”

The lion approached her, and Chloe backed up, scooting away until her back hit a box. She grabbed one of Rachel’s shoes and brandished it as a weapon, which the lion playfully swatted away. Before she could reach for the other shoe, the lion leaned in, and then, right before her eyes, turned into Rachel Amber.

“What the fuck,” Chloe gasped. “You’re a lion.”

Rachel laughed.

“That’s what I said.”

“And... you’re naked,” Chloe realized, and almost fell off the train.

* * *

Rachel smacked the viewfinder once, twice, three times, and when it still wouldn’t work, she ripped the panel open like it was made of paper.

“Okay, gonna add lion strength in human form to your list of powers,” Chloe said as Rachel proudly trotted over to the other viewfinder, her retrieved quarter in hand.

“You have a list already?” Rachel asked, amused.

Nodding, Chloe whipped out her marker, quickly scribbling on her palm before presenting it to Rachel. The first on the list was a drawing of a lion, which made Rachel smile, the second read ‘super stamina’, and the third read ‘super strength’.

“While it’s very flattering,” Rachel said, touching Chloe’s palm, “I don’t think I’ve done anything to justify super stamina. Not yet, anyway.”

“You ran up here without getting winded!”

“That’s called a healthy diet, regular exercise, and no cigarettes,” Rachel pointed out. “Not exactly a superpower.”

“It is to me,” Chloe admitted without shame, and proceeded to add ‘super willpower’ on the list.

Rachel shook her head, still smiling.

“Well, if you’re done taking notes, shall we play?”

* * *

“This is fun! Who’s next?”

Through the viewfinder, they see a man in a suit approaching a blonde woman. Rachel did a double take, almost bumping into Chloe, who took a step back.

“Uh, sorry. Didn’t mean to hog the viewfinder.”

Rachel zoomed in on the couple. The man and the woman were arguing, the woman absolutely furious. The man looked terrified, but he stood his ground. When she started yelling, making the other people in the park look at them, the man tried to calm her down, but she shoved him away. Then, with a look that could kill, the woman stormed off.

“Whoa,” Chloe said, their little spy game forgotten. “That was…”

“My dad.”

“That guy who looks like he’s about to piss himself?” Chloe asked, and Rachel nodded. “So, um, is the scary, angry lady your mom…?”

“I’ve never seen her before in my life,” Rachel said, stepping away from the viewfinder to watch her dad leave the park. “What do you think she is? That woman?”

Chloe rubbed the back of her neck, glancing at the oak tree and then back at Rachel.

“I’m no people expert, but she seemed, I dunno, too pissed to be his mistress? I mean, I guess she could be threatening to tell your mom, or something. Your dad looked like some nerd who wanted this jock to stop twisting his nipples. That… didn’t sound right.”

Despite what Chloe said, Rachel laughed.

“No, but I get it. To tell the truth, I dragged you here because I knew he was going to meet someone. It was from an unknown number, so I suspected he was cheating on my mom, but I don’t know what to think of this. Something about that woman...”

“Yeah,” Chloe agreed. “What are you gonna do? Tell your mom, confront your dad?”

Rachel shook her head.

“No. Not yet. I think I want to find that woman first,” Rachel said, looking at Chloe. “If my dad has anything on her, it’d be in his office at home. Soonest we can get to that is later tonight, maybe.”

“We?” Chloe parroted, confused.

Rachel smirked.

“I’m thinking of breaking into my dad’s study. Figured I could use the help of a master thief. I saw you swipe that shirt in the mill,” she said, tugging at the shirt Chloe was wearing. “The cash, too, which you used to buy weed.”

“Is that another superpower?” Chloe asked, grinning.

“If thinking you’re a badass is a superpower sure,” Rachel quipped. “Saw you talk your way into the mill, and how you stood up for Nathan Prescott.”

“Okay, now I’m gonna add super stalking to the list,” Chloe said, earning herself a playful shove. “Hey, take it easy. Some of us are only human.”

Rachel rolled her eyes.

“Well, what do you say?”

“What, break into your house tonight?” Chloe asked, and Rachel laughed.

“As hot as that sounds, you could just come home with me, and I’ll tell my parents you’re sleeping over. Then, when they go to bed, we do our thing.”

“Oh. Yeah, sure, we can do that. Let’s do that. We heading to your place now?”

“Still early,” Rachel said, taking Chloe’s hand. “Let’s walk around a bit, give those smokey lungs of yours some fresh air.”

“Trying to fix me already?” Chloe teased.

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t mind if you had more stamina,” Rachel admitted.

“Why? So I can keep up with you?”

“Exactly.”

* * *

“Hey, check it out!” Chloe exclaimed, hopping off the train rails and rushing ahead.

“What?” Rachel asked, watching Chloe in amusement. “The pile of trash?”

“The awesome pile of trash!” Chloe countered, running back to hold hands again, which had Rachel smiling. “Come on, let’s explore!”

Pulling Rachel along, Chloe sped through the junkyard in less than a minute, circling them right back to the entrance with a big grin on her face.

“Who’s moving too fast now?” Rachel teased, laughing.

“No one’s here,” Chloe said, her silly grin widening. “You wanna meow it up?”

Rachel laughed again, so hard and suddenly she almost snorted.

“Meow it up?”

“Yeah!” Chloe affirmed, so giddy she was bouncing on her feet. “C’mon, wouldn’t be awesome to run all wild and free?”

Rachel crossed her arms, making a show of thinking about it.

“You’re awfully excited to get me naked again, Chloe Price.”

Somehow, Chloe tripped on her feet, pitching herself right into Rachel’s arms.

“Swept you off your feet already?” Rachel asked, smirking.

“Shut up,” Chloe attempted to growl, but it came out as a whine, made worse by a case of excessive blushing. “I wasn’t even thinking of that,” she grumbled, scrambling free and then giving Rachel a shove. “Just… I saw all this open space, and thought you might like to, you know, make like a cat. I mean, you’re always surrounded by people, I figured you never got the breathing room to… just be you. Like, you-you, all of you, kitty you...”

“Aw, how cute,” Rachel cooed, which made Chloe roll her eyes. “No, really,” she said, reaching up and touching Chloe’s face to get her attention. “You’re right. I’ve never really gotten the chance or the space to loosen up like that. And now that I think about it? Fuck, yes, I’m doing it. You mind guarding my stuff again?”

Delighted, Chloe held out her arms.

“I am your humble servant, O Queen of the Bay.”

Rachel was about to quip when she noticed that Chloe had closed her eyes, and at once, her playful expression turned smitten.

“Very well,” she allowed with mock pomp, smiling when Chloe snickered briefly.

Rachel undressed, neatly folding her clothes before placing them in Chloe’s hands. The matching undergarments followed, and then her various accessories, the last being her blue bracelet, which she handled with reverence. Through it all, Chloe waited patiently, not once attempting to peek.

“On the count of three,” Rachel said, and Chloe nodded.

Counting up to five instead, Chloe opened her eyes, and grinned at the lion that now stood before her.

“So. Fucking. Awesome!” she declared, clutching the belongings in her arms like they were precious cargo. She approached Rachel, a happy bounce in her feet, and she shouted, “You gotta lemme ride you someday! Having my own battle cat, that’s a million times more badass than a dragon on a leash!”

Rachel snorted and gently bumped into Chloe, almost knocking her off her feet.

“Hey!” Chloe barked, and when Rachel snorted again, it almost sounded like a snicker.

With a strong swing of her tail, Rachel smacked Chloe on the butt, almost making her drop her stuff, and then took off.

“Jesus Christ, ow!” Chloe howled in pain, unable to soothe her aching rump with her arms full. “What the fuck is your tail made of?” she grumbled, glaring at the lion that was now perched on a rusted car, looking deceptively coy.

After a brief staredown, Chloe gave chase, and Rachel bolted, knocking over a mannequin and a large box on the way. Chloe hopped over the fallen mannequin and almost tripped on an old camera, but she never took her eyes off Rachel, happy to see Rachel having so much fun.

Rachel jumped on a school bus, its roof yielding a little under the weight of a young lion. Making sure Chloe was watching, she trotted over to the other end of the bus, and then struck a pose that could only be described as majestic.

“Show off,” Chloe said, her tone affectionate. “Oh, hey, think you can jump on that?” she asked, pointing at a Good Kiddo Ice Cream sign that stood tall.

Rachel hopped off the bus and took the long way around the sign, having more energy than Chloe could keep up with. She stopped at the base, and then sprang up, perching on top of the sign.

“Hell, yeah!” Chloe cheered as the sign began to teeter back and forth.

Tail swinging wildly for balance, Rachel jumped off the sign before it hit the ground. She landed on the hood of a car and Chloe over hurried to her.

“Rachel, that was so badass…” Chloe suddenly trailed off, the color and joy draining from her face.

One by one, Rachel’s things fell to the ground, Chloe only managing to save the bracelet before she dropped to her knees. Rachel ran to her, having turned back midway.

“Chloe, hey, what’s wrong?” Rachel asked in a soft voice, but Chloe only stared past her.

She looked over her shoulder, seeing the car she had landed on. It was blue, the left side wrecked, caved in.

“Dad,” Chloe whimpered, and when Rachel pulled her close and held her, she began to cry.

* * *

“I’m sorry,” Chloe mumbled, sniffling.

Clicking her tongue in disapproval, Rachel wiped away the new tears that came with the apology.

“What did I say about that?” she chided gently, cupping Chloe’s face.

Chloe frowned, her lower lip quivering.

“Rachel Amber is naked, and I cried on her,” she whined.

“Well, I’m glad you finally noticed,” Rachel quipped, and when Chloe blushed, she smiled. “I’m going to take this,” she said, running her thumbs over Chloe’s reddened cheeks, “as a sign that you’re feeling better.”

Chloe sniffed.

“A little.”

“Does that mean I can put my clothes on now?” Rachel asked. “It’s really chilly sans fur. This little hideout we found doesn’t provide much shelter, either.”

“Oh. Yeah, s-sure,” Chloe stuttered, abruptly spinning around, red to the tips of her ears.

Shaking her head in amusement, Rachel got dressed. She had just put her earring back on when she sat down next to Chloe, bumping shoulders with her as she was fastening her bracelet.

“That was quick,” Chloe remarked, giving a little smile.

“Just one of my many, many talents,” Rachel said, winking.

Chuckling, Chloe reached over to help Rachel with her bracelet.

“Hey, so,” she began as she finished tying the bracelet, “thanks, Rachel. For everything. For today. For just… being here. And I’m sorry for dumping all my baggage on you. First at the train, now here. We were having so much fun, the most I’ve had since… and then I ruined it by having the meltdown of a lifetime.”

“You didn’t ruin anything, Chloe,” Rachel said, catching Chloe’s hand before it could make a hasty retreat. “It’s fucked up, you know, that of all the places…” she paused, frowning. “Why wouldn’t you be upset? I’m glad you trust me, at the train and here, because I trust you, Chloe Price. You think I’d tell just anyone that I can turn into a lion?”

“Why did you?” Chloe asked. “Tell me, I mean.”

Rachel turned up Chloe’s palm, smiling at the lion drawing.

“I have a good feeling about you.”

Chloe smiled, bumping shoulders with Rachel.

“That’s it, huh?”

“That’s it.”

“So, is this the part where you tell me your origin story?” Chloe asked, bouncing in her seat.

Rachel laughed.

“Origin story? What am I, a superhero?”

“Uh, yeah!” Chloe declared like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You can turn into a fucking lion! A motherfucking lion!”

“Pretty sure I need to do something heroic to be considered a superhero,” Rachel said, giving Chloe a playful shove.

“You saved me from those skeevy assholes last night,” Chloe pointed out, returning the shove. “And what you did for me just now… that’s pretty damn heroic to me.”

Rachel smiled, finding Chloe’s hand again.

“Wasn’t even a lion when I did either of those things.”

Chloe smiled back.

“See how good you are?”

“Well, if you insist on flattering me,” Rachel conceded, punctuating it with an exaggerated shrug that had Chloe laughing. “Now, as for this origin story you’re asking about…”

“Oh, oh!” Chloe cut in, bouncing in her seat again. “You’re an alien! Like Superman, except hot!”

“You have seen me naked,” Rachel added, smirking, “but no, not an alien. Not that my parents told me, anyway, and I don’t think I ever found an alien pod in our backyard.”

“A werecat! You know, like a werewolf, but a cat. A werelion!”

“Wouldn’t meowing it up be restricted to nights, then?”

“Oh, shit, yeah. Did a radioactive lion bite you?”

“Not that I recall.”

“Shapeshifter? Can you turn into something else?”

“Nope.”

Muttering something about needing to brush up on her nerd knowledge, Chloe took a moment before her next guess.

“Mutant? Are you parents super, too?”

“If they are, they’ve never told me,” Rachel said, shaking her head. “I don’t think so, though. My dad is hiding something, for sure, but I don’t think that’s it. I don’t know why I am the way I am, but I didn’t have any bizarre experiences or freaky accidents, so I guess I was born this way. ”

“Your parents don’t know?” Chloe asked.

“No,” Rachel confirmed, brows furrowing. “Maybe it’s because of my dad and this lie of his, but it never... felt safe to tell them.”

“But you told me? When we barely knew each other?”

Rachel tucked her hair behind ear.

“Like I said, I have a good feeling about you. You’re the only one who knows, and I don’t even have to tell you to keep it a secret, because I know you will.”

Chloe rubbed the back of her neck.

“Wow. I’ve never meant that much to anyone before.”

Rachel scooted closer, tucking her head under Chloe’s chin.

“Better get used to it.”

“I got a choice?”

“No.”

Chloe laughed.

“So demanding. Like a cat.”

Rachel laughed with her.

“Lucky for me, you’re a cat person.”

“Oh, yeah, you’re in good hands with me,” Chloe said, grinning. “I can even hook you up with some catnip. You get high off that, right? I am seriously jealous. Way cheaper than weed, and you don’t have to put up with dealers who smell like piss.”

Rachel made a face.

“Gross. And I don’t know about the catnip.”

“Never tried?”

“No,” Rachel said, scooting back enough to look at Chloe. “I’m kind of new to this free spirit, give-no-fucks thing.”

“Okay, I’m making a new list, and catnip is on the top of it,” Chloe decided, reaching for her pockets.

“Do you even have room for a new list?” Rachel asked as Chloe retrieved her phone first, and then her marker.

“I got another hand,” Chloe said, almost putting her phone back in her pocket when she noticed a flurry of messages.

“Another warning text from Steph?” Rachel guessed, and Chloe sighed.

“Worse. It’s my mom, and she’s pissed about me skipping. Meeting with Wells tomorrow.”

“Shit, that’s not good,” Rachel said, and then checked her own phone. “Shit.”

“You, too?”

“Yeah. My parents know. Wells meeting, too. Guess that puts our plans on hold. Doubt my parents are in the mood to say yes to a sleepover.”

“Yeah,” Chloe agreed. “Maybe we can try tomorrow.”

“Maybe. Chloe?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry I got you in trouble.”

“Best day of my life. Worth it.”


	2. Room to Swing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To anyone who likes Frank--- hahaha, wait.

“There is plenty of blame to go around. Chloe’s future at Blackwell will be discussed next. Unless you had something to add first, Ms. Price?”

Chloe gripped the arms of the chair, ready to spring up and give Principal Wells some choice words, but then she made the mistake of catching Rachel’s eye, and what she saw made her freeze.

Rachel’s hazel eyes, for a second, turned gold. Cat gold. Lion gold.

_Don’t you fucking dare, Chloe Price,_ she swore she heard in her head.

With an audible gulp, Chloe sank in her seat.

“No,” she told Principal Wells, glaring at him, the lesser threat. “Nothing to add.”

* * *

“What are you doing?”

Chloe jumped, dropping the car battery in her hands. It would have landed on her toes had it not been for the quick hands that caught it.

“Rachel?” she sputtered. “Jesus, you scared the shit out of me!”

“Sorry,” Rachel said, holding out the battery as a peace offering. “It’s just in my nature, you know? Part of the whole silent predator thing.”

“What am I, food?” Chloe retorted, scoffing. “Shouldn’t you be playing with me first before you kill me with a heart attack?”

“Well, I don’t know about a heart attack,” Rachel quipped, smirking, “but you know how I feel about games.”

Chloe huffed, shoving Rachel, who humored her and let herself be pushed.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“So, trying to see if you can bring this thing back to life,” Rachel noted, appraising the truck. “Where did you want this?” she asked, dangling the battery in front of Chloe.

“Here,” Chloe said, guiding Rachel’s hand. “Perfect!” she exclaimed, already attaching the battery before Rachel even let go.

Rachel laughed, standing back to give Chloe space to work.

“You know, I never took you for a gearhead.”

"When my dad died, my mom was all about figuring shit out. How to bury my dad, when to do it, where to put his stuff. Money. Me. That last part, she couldn’t figure out. She couldn't, I couldn't, those fucking pamphlets she brought home from the hospital couldn't, and the budget shrinks in this piece of shit town are about as helpful as Dicktator David. So, I thought, fuck it, find something I could figure out, like the ins and outs of the thing that turned my dad into a fucking pancake."

“Jesus. That’s dark.”

“Too dark?”

“Perfect dark.”

Chloe grinned.

“Awesome. Anyway, I saw this truck while I was waiting for you, and I think I can fix it.”

Rachel made a pleased sound.

“That’s hot.”

“And you’re weird.”

“How weird?”

“Hella weird.”

Rachel laughed again, this time giving Chloe a playful shove.

“Who says hella now?” she teased.

“What can I say,” Chloe said, shrugging, “you’re a bad influence. Ditching class, jumping off trains, indecent exposure.”

“And totally worth it?” Rachel finished, smiling expectantly.

“Totally,” Chloe confirmed, grinning.

“Especially the indecent exposure part?”

Chloe lost her composure, almost falling face first on the car battery she had just finished hooking up

“Aww,” Rachel cooed, reaching over and gently pinching one of Chloe’s red cheeks, “you like me.”

“Shut up,” Chloe whined, squirming away.

“I like you, too, you know,” Rachel said, her expression softening, “just in case you needed to hear it.”

Chloe blushed even more, which made Rachel smile. Letting Chloe squirm a little bit longer, Rachel eventually turned her attention back to the truck.

“Think a new battery is enough to get this thing going?” she asked.

“One way to find out!” Chloe exclaimed, making her way to the driver’s side of the truck, a bounce in her step.

Rachel watched until Chloe climbed inside and then went around to open the passenger door.

“Okay, the inside also needs work,” she said, seeing the condition of the seat and the hole on the floorboard of the passenger’s side. “A lot of work.”

“Yeah,” Chloe agreed, looking around for a key and then just settling for a screwdriver.

The engine sputtered a few times, but that was the most it did. Chloe sat back, sighing in disappointment.

“Hey, it looks like you gave it a fighting chance,” Rachel praised.

Chloe smiled a little.

“Huh, yeah. I guess so Think I’m gonna need tools to fix everything else, but I don’t feel like going home right now.”

“No?” Rachel asked, and Chloe frowned.

“No. My mom is letting David move in.”

“What the fuck,” Rachel growled. “Your mom should put you first, not herself, and especially not some random douchebag who looked at her twice.”

“Yeah, well,” Chloe mumbled, “she thinks I’m a lost cause.”

“Bullshit,” Rachel snapped, the power in her voice startling Chloe. “She’s the lost cause if she’s letting that jobless piece of shit into your house.”

“Any chance your lion stomach has a taste for jobless pieces of shit?” Chloe asked, the little smile coming back.

“Oh, God, no,” Rachel blurted, the look on her face making Chloe laugh. “Can’t I just kill him and pass it off as a random animal attack? Why do I have to eat him to prove myself to you? Why must I suffer?”

“You’re right,” Chloe relented, smiling widely now. “Killing him is more than enough. I would hate to give you indigestion.”

“So, it’s settled,” Rachel said, both of them laughing. “You lure him to a secluded spot - best time to steal that muscle car of his, I’d say - and then I’ll go in for the kill.”

Chloe grinned

“The perfect plan. Then we’ll burn the evidence, him and the car.”

“Few things are more fun than playing with fire,” Rachel agreed, smiling in approval. “Now, since we can’t keep the muscle car for ourselves, we need this truck. Can’t do anything under the hood without tools, but there’s plenty of other things to do, like covering this massive hole.”

Chloe snickered.

“What, you don’t think having an escape hatch is cool?”

“You’re not the one who’s going to be sitting on this side.”

“Point,” Chloe admitted. “Maybe we can find something around here to cover it up for now. The seats, too.”

“Something clean,” Rachel added.

“Something clean? In a junkyard? Might wanna lower your standards there,” Chloe teased, and Rachel rolled her eyes.

“Ugh, fine. At least you finally took a shower. I’ll just sit on you after, then.”

“Hey, if I knew I was gonna spend yesterday with you, I would have showered! And what’s this about sitting on me?” Chloe asked, but Rachel was already walking away, exploring the junkyard.

* * *

“Okay, let’s see what we got,” Rachel said as Chloe laid out their findings on the truck bed.

For the torn seats, it was a choice between a rainbow-colored beach towel and a pirate flag. For the rusted floorboard, it was either a welcome mat, a plain rug, or a small strip of putting green. To replace the broken bulb in the truck, they found three intact ones, red, green, and blue.

“The pirate flag smells less horrible,” Rachel noted, nose crinkling as she glared at the beach towel.

Chloe chuckled.

“You got it,” she said, yanking the pirate flag and draping it on her shoulder. “We can use the beach towel here on the truck bed for when you want to meow it up. I’d air it out first, of course.”

“You’ll clean it first,” Rachel demanded, crossing her arms.

“I’ll clean it first,” Chloe promised.

“You better,” Rachel said, giving Chloe a nudge that was immediately returned.

“What about the hole?” Chloe asked. “I’m thinking the welcome mat.”

Rachel nodded.

“Inviting. I like it.”

“And for the light, I pick this one,” Chloe said, reaching for the blue light bulb and holding it next to Rachel’s earring.

“Good choice,” Rachel praised, smiling.

Grinning, Chloe snatched the welcome mat and bounced over to the driver’s side. Rachel followed, going to the passenger’s side, and together, they covered the seats with the pirate flag. Chloe then tossed the mat over the hole and climbed in, throwing away the broken light bulb and replacing it with a blue one.

“And to top it off,” Chloe declared, retrieving an Elvis bobblehead from her jacket pocket and slapping it on the dashboard. “Wanna test out the light?” she asked Rachel, who had been watching her, smiling.

“Sure,” Rachel said, going around instead of climbing in.

“What are you…” Chloe started to ask, cut off when Rachel promptly sat on her lap. “Uh,” was all she could manage as Rachel snuggled like the oversized cat she was.

“You’re still the cleanest thing here,” Rachel pointed out as she flipped the switch, the blue bulb lighting up. “That looks awesome!”

“Yeah,” Chloe mumbled, not looking at the light. “Awesome.”

Rachel turned to Chloe, smirking and looking ready to tease her, but she suddenly blinked, sniffing the air.

“What do you have with your weed? It smells… good.”

“Huh?” Chloe said, still distracted, only snapping out of it when Rachel began to paw at her jacket. “Oh, that! I was wondering why you haven’t said anything. Guess I sealed it up pretty good. Hey, hey, quit it! I’m ticklish!”

“Then hurry up!” Rachel ordered, resuming her impatient search and drawing out reluctant giggles.

“Okay, okay!” Chloe wheezed in defeat, feeling around for her other jacket pocket and pulling out a plastic bag.

Rachel, seeing the new, shiny object, relinquished Chloe’s ticklish sides for it. She opened the bag, her expression going from curious to confused and, finally, amused.

“Did you… roll up catnip joints for me?”

Chloe tried to shrug like it was nothing, the new blush on her face giving her away.

“Yeah…”

“Chloe Price,” Rachel said, cupping Chloe’s chin to make their eyes meet, “this is the cutest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

“Yeah?” Chloe asked, lips curling into a silly grin. “I don’t know if it’d actually work, but blazing with you seemed like a cool idea. I mean, if you wanna try it. You could also just, you know, open it up and eat it. If you wanna eat it, anyway. Bongo always did.”

Rachel shifted on Chloe’s lap, finding a more comfortable position, her eyes never leaving Chloe’s and her smile turning into a smirk.

“Let’s find out, shall we?”

* * *

After three joints and as many minutes later, Chloe Price discovered that Rachel Amber could not handle her catnip.

“Oh. My. God,” Rachel, splayed on Chloe’s lap, stark naked, whispered the words slowly as she stared in awe at her hands. “Oh, my God, Chloe. Chloe, I have thumbs. I have thumbs! Chloe, look. Look!”

“Uh-huh,” Chloe said, looking precisely at Rachel’s wiggling fingers.

She had since been dragged to the middle of the seat to accommodate the cat on her lap, doing her best not to stare at any naked part of Rachel.

Rachel had the foresight to remove her clothes prior to her first joint, in case she were to inadvertently turn into a lion during the trip. Chloe, in turn, had the foresight to stay sober.

When her thumbs became less interesting, Rachel rolled on her back, and Chloe immediately snapped her gaze forward.

“Hey,” Rachel whined, grabbing a handful of Chloe’s shirt and forcing her to look down. “Pay attention to me. Pet me.”

“Pet you?” Chloe sputtered, looking everywhere but Rachel.

“Yes. I want a belly rub.”

Before Chloe could protest, Rachel grabbed her hand.

“This is a trap,” was all Chloe could say when her hand came in contact with Rachel’s bare midriff.

She tried to withdraw her hand, but Rachel, with her supernatural strength, kept it in place.

“Belly rub. Now.”

Chloe responded with a slow, hesitant pat, eyes fixed on Rachel’s dilated eyes, which soon narrowed in disappointment.

“You’re bad at this,” came the childish accusation. “You’re not rubbing.”

“Sorry,” Chloe blurted, starting a slow stroking motion that didn’t dare go too high or too low.

That seemed enough to please Rachel, who grabbed her other hand and nuzzled it. Were she able to, she would likely be purring.

“Where’d my tail go?” Rachel asked lazily. “Chloe, where’s my tail? Find it.”

“You’re not a lion right now, Rachel,” Chloe said, her blush now reaching her ears.

Rachel blinked.

“I’m not?”

Chloe shook her head.

“You’re not, and I’d so be laughing at you right now if you weren’t naked and making me rub you like a Goddamn magic lamp.”

“I really liked the tiger in Aladdin,” Rachel said after a while.

Chloe snorted good-naturedly.

“No shit?”

Rachel nodded, looking serious. She nuzzled Chloe’s hand again, blinking her eyes slowly.

“And Jasmine. She’s pretty. Like you.”

“Yeah?” Chloe asked, chuckling. “Don’t think I can pull off the outfit. But you can.”

“You’re more like Aladdin on the inside,” Rachel agreed. “Not the outside,” she added. “You’d look so fucking hot in his clothes, though. Like, hella hot. Easy tit access.”

“You sure know how to flatter a girl, Rachel Amber,” Chloe said, shaking her head.

Rachel grinned.

“Thanks! Hey, Chloe, where’s my tail? Am I a lion yet? Meow?”

“No, Rachel, no meow,” Chloe implored, though she kept her voice light. “I don’t think my scrawny ass can withstand your lion weight on my lap.”

Rachel tilted her head, brows furrowing.

“But I like your butt. Do you like mine?”

“Um,” Chloe started to say, squawking when Rachel rolled on her stomach.

Rachel’s phone, on the dashboard and nestled on Chloe’s jacket along with the rest of the things, buzzed when a message came in. Thankful for the distraction, Chloe reached for the phone with her newly freed hands.

“Rachel, it’s Steph,” she told the cat on her lap. “She says Mr. Keaton is asking for you.”

Rachel stretched and then snuggled up to her.

“Fuck ‘em. I need a nap. Pet me.”

Chloe snickered.

“Yes, ma’am,” she said, putting the phone back on the dashboard and proceeding to stroke Rachel’s hair, the cat on her lap soon falling asleep.

* * *

“Chloe,” came a grumpy, sleepy voice, followed by a sharp jab at her side. “Chloe, your phone is ringing.”

Chloe jerked, startled awake.

“Huh? What … my phone?” she mumbled, taking a few attempts before she successfully fished it out of her pocket. “What?” she answered the call, not even bothering to see who it was.

_“Price.”_

“Frank. I was napping,” she snapped, sounding as annoyed as Rachel looked.

_“We got business to discuss.”_

Chloe sighed.

“I’m outta the red and I bought weed from you last night, remember? I don’t go through that shit that fast.”

_“Not about that. Where are you?”_

Rachel huffed, and Chloe reacted by stroking her hair, calming her in an instant.

“Some junkyard. Why?”

_“Junkyard? Perfect, I know the place. Stay there, I’ll come pick you up.”_

“Yeah, but why the fuck---” Chloe started to ask, cut off when Frank hung up. “Asshole.”

“Asshole,” Rachel seconded, nuzzling Chloe’s hand.

“Hey,” Chloe greeted softly, smiling. “Sorry about that. How do you feel? Buzz gone?”

“I think so,” Rachel murmured. “Your lap is comfy.”

Chloe chuckled.

“Thanks. You wanna get dressed? Half of you is lying on the pirate flag.”

The realization had Rachel sitting up, but instead of going for her clothes, she seated herself on Chloe’s lap, making sure no part of her was in contact with the flag.

“Whoa!” Chloe yelped at the sudden move, hands reflexively going to Rachel’s hips for balance as Rachel’s arms wrapped around her neck.

“Ugh,” Rachel groaned. “I need a shower. Next time I’m getting high, it’ll be somewhere clean, got it?”

Chloe, eyes widening when she saw where her hands her, quickly withdrew them.

“Uh, yeah. Yeah. Got it. Next time.”

Rachel huffed.

“Good.”

“You, um,” Chloe stammered, staring at the ceiling. “You gonna get dressed while you’re sitting on me? That’s, ah, that’s gonna be tricky.”

Rachel scoffed.

“Watch me try.”

Contrary to it, Chloe kept her stare on the ceiling while Rachel shifted and wiggled on her lap. It took a while, punctuated with colorful curses from Rachel, some in French, but eventually, Rachel vacated her lap.

“Such a gentleman,” came the coo. “You can look now.”

This time, Chloe took the invitation, and found a fully clothed Rachel smiling at her. Rachel expectantly held out her wrist, and Chloe, returning the smile, helped tie the strings of her bracelet.

“Do you wanna head to Blackwell?” Chloe asked. “Don’t think we were out that long.”

“For what? So I can help Victoria fit into my costume? Fuck that,” Rachel muttered, rolling her eyes. “Besides,” she said, her smile returning, “your thing sounds more fun. You run errands for your smelly dealer? So bad.”

“As much as I’d love to impress, no,” Chloe admitted, grinning crookedly. “This is the first time Frank’s called me for something other than weed or paying up what I owe him. What makes you think he wants me to run an errand for him?”

“Only thing that makes sense,” Rachel said, suddenly looking disturbed. “Unless... he wants to sleep with you.”

“What? Ew!” Chloe shouted, shoving Rachel. “What the hell, that’s your other guess? Gross!”

Giggling, Rachel took Chloe’s face in her hands and pulled her close, their foreheads touching.

“There, there,” she murmured soothingly, “just look at my gorgeous face, and you’ll feel all better, I promise.”

Chloe grunted, not looking but blushing instead.

“See?” Rachel bragged, still giggling. “And you’re not even looking yet.”

“Think I’ve seen more than enough,” Chloe muttered, and realized she had said it out loud and turned even redder.

“Not that you’re complaining, right?” Rachel quipped, smirking.

Chloe groaned.

“Shut up,” she begged.

“Okay, okay,” Rachel relented, letting go of Chloe’s face, “wouldn’t want you to break or anything. It’d be a shame, you’re too cute.”

Chloe huffed.

“I’m not cute.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be our little secret, and I still think you’re a badass, cute and all,” Rachel assured her, winking. “So, hey, after your errand, I think we can break into my dad’s office. He and my mom are going to be at the play.”

“But Wells kicked you from it, why would your parents still watch?” Chloe asked and then made a face. “For appearances and shit?”

“Exactly,” Rachel said, nodding, “and the chance that I’d have to step in for Victoria.”

Chloe was quiet for a moment, looking pensive.

“What if that happens? Don’t you want to take that chance?”

“It’s tempting,” Rachel admitted, “but this is more important. It’s probably our best shot at it, too.”

“That why you stopped me from cussing Wells out this morning?” Chloe asked.

Rachel initially responded with a shoulder bump.

“That, and I didn’t want you taking the fall. Bad enough you got suspended. Wells would have expelled you if you went through with it. That slimy bastard was just waiting for a reason - any small, stupid reason - to get rid of you. Bald piece of shit.”

“Not used to having someone look out for me,” Chloe said, nudging Rachel back. “Thanks. I mean, I think you’re just delaying the inevitable, but it feels… nice, knowing that you give a shit. Who knows, maybe I’ll give a shit, too, when my suspension is up.”

“It would be awesome to hang out with you in school, you know,” Rachel pointed out, resting her head on Chloe’s shoulder.

Chloe smiled, leaning on Rachel.

“That actually does sound awesome.”

* * *

After they saw Frank’s RV park outside the junkyard, it didn’t take long before he bombarded Chloe with one impatient text after another.

“You want to make him wait longer?” Rachel asked as Chloe ignored the texts.

“We can ditch him for all I care,” Chloe said, scoffing. “Do we even have time for this? We can go to your place right now.”

Rachel shook her head.

“Still too early. We might as well do something to pass the time.”

“Guess so,” Chloe agreed, and together, they exited the truck.

Making their way around Frank’s RV, Rachel stopped to laugh at the graffiti on his window.

“You tagged your drug dealer’s ride? That’s so badass.”

“Okay, I’m just now finding out that this is his RV,” Chloe said, glancing at the words she wrote about free candy to kids, “but I’m pretty fucking proud of myself right now.”

Rachel burst into another fit of laughter.

“You should be,” she said, the affection in her voice making Chloe blush.

“Right, uh, let’s see what Frank wants,” she said, leading Rachel to the door. “Hey, Frank, open up!” she called, and when there came no answer, she yelled, “Do I need a password? Is it drugs!”

Rachel shoved her playfully, giggling.

“So bad.”

The RV door opened, revealing a disgruntled Frank, whose eyes widened when he saw Rachel.

“Price, what the hell! I didn’t say you can bring friends. What do you think this is, a fucking field trip?”

“Whatever, man,” Chloe growled. “You letting us in or what?”

Frank threw up his hands.

“Yeah, yeah. Fucking kids.”

Chloe climbed in first, followed by Rachel, who had gone quiet, glaring at Frank. The furious expression became a grimace the moment she breathed in.

“Ugh, you’re right, Chloe, he does smell like piss.”

“The fuck do you tell your friends about me, Price!” Frank shouted as Rachel coughed, looking more embarrassed than angry.

Chloe rolled her eyes.

“The truth. You smell like piss, dude,” she told him. “Just tell me what you want so we can leave. I’m not gonna make Rachel smell you any longer than she has to.”

Frank looked at Rachel again, who covered her nose, looking disgusted with him. He sneered and closed the door, starting the RV and driving off. Chloe would have toppled over if not for Rachel’s quick reflexes.

“Dude, what the hell!” Chloe barked, grabbing the first thing she could see - a can of beans - and flinging it at him. “I said let us off! You adding kidnapping to the shit you do or something?”

“I got a job offer for you, Price,” was all Frank said, not caring that the can hit his head, and invited her to take a seat, his eyes lingering on Rachel.

“You’re a pig,” Rachel snapped, and Frank promptly fixed his eyes back on the road.

“Yeah,” Chloe cluelessly agreed, staying back with Rachel, who still held on to her. “It really fucking smells in here, dude, and this is me talking.”

“There’s a kid in your school. Drew North,” Frank went on, ignoring Chloe’s complaints. “He runs Oxy for Damon, friend of mine who owns the Old Mill. Anyway, Drew owes a grand and he’s not answering my calls. I want you to talk some sense into him, make him understand that pissing off Damon Merrick isn’t the smartest thing to do.”

Chloe crossed her arms, scoffing.

“What the hell did you and Damon expect? Drew’s, like, the apex of jock.”

“No, this is the first time he’s done this,” Frank said, shaking his head. “I’m thinking something’s going on with him. Any ideas?”

Chloe shrugged.

“Nope.”

“How about your… friend there? Rachel, right?” Frank dared to ask, chancing a glance.

Rachel snarled, the sound more lion than human.

“Whoa, Rachel!” Chloe yelped, stopping Rachel from lunging at Frank.

“What is your girl’s problem, Price? Jesus!”

“Dude, I told you to drop us off!” Chloe yelled back at Frank. “Where are you taking us, anyway!”

“To Blackwell!” he answered, eyes back on the road. “Talk to Drew. I heard you told him off yesterday, figured he’d listen to you. Hundred bucks if you get the money, half of that if you don’t, for your trouble.”

Rachel grabbed the front of Chloe’s shirt, eyes flashing gold as she struggled for control.

“Get me out of here.”

Chloe nodded frantically.

“Fine, okay, I’ll do it!” she told Frank. “Just hurry the fuck up!”

* * *

The RV was still slowing to a stop when Chloe and Rachel got out, Chloe exchanging unpleasantries with Frank up until he drove off.

“Your girl is fucking crazy!” he shouted, having the last word.

Rachel, breathing so hard she was shaking, clumsily removed her bracelet and pushed it into Chloe’s hands. She then ran to the gardens, taking greedy gulps of fresh air. Chloe came up behind her, approaching slowly.

“Hey, what can I do?” she asked, speaking softly. “Do you need water?”

Rachel turned around to face Chloe, eyes still turning gold with every other breath. Without a word, she closed the distance between them, tucking her head under Chloe’s chin as Chloe’s arms wrapped around her.

“Back rub,” she demanded, and Chloe was quick to comply.

Eventually, Rachel finally calmed down, her breathing evening out, and when Chloe looked down, she was met with hazel eyes.

“Okay now?” she whispered, and Rachel nodded slowly. “You want your bracelet back?”

Rachel shook her head.

“Keep it for now. I got pissed, so pissed I almost lost it. I may get pissed again later, when we find out what my dad’s hiding. It’s safer with you.”

“Okay,” Chloe said, pocketing the bracelet. “I’ll hold on to it for you.”

“Thank you,” Rachel murmured, sighing and closing her eyes. “You can say what the fuck now.”

“Okay. Because what the fuck,” Chloe said, not disappointing. “Was the smell that bad? I thought you were gonna maul Frank. I know we talked about killing Dickbag David, but I was joking! You were joking, too, right? We need to establish we were both joking.”

“I was joking,” Rachel confirmed, smiling a little.

“And about Frank?” Chloe asked, still rubbing Rachel’s back. “Do we need to actively avoid the stench of man piss, or were you about to hulk out?”

“Nerd,” Rachel teased, sighing again. “The smell didn’t help. If it was bad for you, it was a hundred times worse for me. I could taste it, Chloe.”

Chloe cringed in sympathy.

“Oh, my God. Okay, I take it back, I’m so, so sorry I didn’t let you kill him. Oh, my God, ew. Do you want some mints? I can get some. Toothpaste? Weed? I can get more catnip, too.”

“Maybe more catnip later,” Rachel said, charmed. “And I’m sorry for freaking you out. For what’s it worth, we’ve both just discovered that being super pissed risks that.”

“Well, shit,” Chloe blurted. “How’d Frank piss you off so much?”

“Your dealer’s a disgusting pig who wants to fuck girls half his age,” Rachel muttered. “He was checking me out, Chloe, fucking me with his eyes.”

Chloe reared back, eyes wide, and in an instant, she scowled.

“That piece of shit,” she growled, hurriedly retrieving her phone and calling Frank.

_“Price. You talked to Drew yet?”_

“No, and you can shove this job up your ass.”

_“What the fuck?”_

Chloe was about to give Frank an earful, but Rachel took her phone, ending the call.

“Don’t say anything that’ll tip him off,” she said, “I’ll have my dad handle this.”

“Even if what we find out makes you hates his guts?” Chloe asked.

“You want Frank put away, even if it means no more weed for you?” Rachel asked back.

“No shit,” Chloe didn’t hesitate to say. “No amount of weed is worth having a pedo loose in a high school. Besides, another dealer’s gonna pop up eventually. Drugs make the world go ‘round.”

“That they do,” Rachel agreed. “Still too early to go to my house. What do you want to do?”

Chloe, still diligently rubbing her back, looked at her in concern.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Rachel breathed, sighing in content. “Just feeling really wiped out from trying not to lose it in the RV. I don’t give a shit if I tear a pedo limb from limb, but what if I was so pissed that I hurt you, too? I didn’t want to risk that, so I really fought it.”

“Oh, I didn’t even think of that,” Chloe said, blinking. “Yeah, okay, that doesn’t sound pleasant. Thanks for caring enough not to want to maul me.”

Rachel laughed.

“You’re welcome. And that was so badass, by the way, when you got pissed and protective. Hot, too.”

“Yeah, you’re definitely feeling better,” Chloe said, chuckling. “You think you’re feeling well enough to breach man territory again? I wanna warn Drew. I still think he’s a meathead, but Mikey’s pretty cool, and I’d hate for him to get caught up in Drew’s dumb shit. Steph, too, because if Mikey’s involved, Steph is, too.”

“See? You have friends,” Rachel pointed out, smiling.

Chloe shook her head.

“Heh. Guess I do.”

* * *

“If only boys looked like that.”

Chloe, confused by the comment, followed Rachel’s gaze. Sitting on one of the benches outside of the boys’ dormitories was Steph, far too engrossed in her notes to notice either of them.

“Way easier on the eyes,” Rachel added as she tugged her over to the bench. “Not as much as you, though,” she said, giving her a wink before going ahead and approaching Steph. “Hey, Steph! Waiting for Mikey?”

Steph looked up, her face splitting into a smile when she saw Rachel.

“Hey, Rachel. I am, yeah. He and Drew went to see Tony, their dad,” she said, turning to Chloe and raising an eyebrow. “You okay, Chloe? Your face is red.”

“Yeah,” came the unconvincing answer, unhelped by Rachel’s smug expression.

“Uh-huh,” Steph said, smiling knowingly. “So, what brings you two here? Weird place for a date.”

“We were actually hoping to talk to Drew,” Rachel said, sparing Chloe from further embarrassment.

“Drew?” Steph repeated, looking at Chloe again. “You’re not here to pick another fight with him, are you?”

“No,” Chloe said. “Seriously, I wouldn’t have helped that bitch Nathan if Samantha Meyers wasn’t whining at me to do something.”

“Poor, chivalrous Chloe Price,” Rachel bemoaned dramatically. “Can’t resist coming to the aid of a damsel in distress, can you? Should I be jealous? I think I’m jealous.”

Steph laughed, a polite chuckle at first, which quickly elevated to an obnoxious bark when Chloe’s blush came back in full force.

“Shut up,” Chloe whined at Rachel, who just looked at her fondly. “And you,” she snapped at Steph, “stop laughing.”

Steph held her hands up in mock surrender.

“Okay, okay. Don’t go angry elf barbarian on me.”

Chloe rolled her eyes, ignoring the amused look on Rachel’s face.

“If you two are done having fun at my expense,” she grumbled, “we’re actually here about some pretty serious shit. Drew’s mixed up with a dealer named Damon Merrick, sells Oxy for him. Don’t know the guy, personally, but I do know he likes to pee on everything he owns. Drew hasn’t paid up the grand he owes, and now the scum of Arcadia Bay is sniffing around for him.”

Steph stared at Chloe like she was waiting for a punchline to a joke.

“Wait,” she said when it never came. “You’re serious.”

“Dead serious,” Chloe said.

“Didn’t Drew and Mikey’s dad lose his job recently?” Rachel asked, and Steph nodded. “Not a stretch to say Drew’s holding on to the money to give to his dad.”

“No wonder Mikey’s been acting so weird,” Steph said, shaking her head. “Damn it, Drew, this is beyond stupid. I get that things have been rough for them, but it’s so not worth having drug dealers on your ass. What was he thinking!”

“He doesn’t,” Chloe quipped. “Why does everyone make this mistake?”

Rachel, unable to help herself, giggled, and Steph sighed.

“I’d appreciate it if you pick another time to impress Rachel Amber, Chloe, but you’re not wrong about this,” she said, grabbing her phone. “Drew definitely wasn’t thinking when he did this. I’ll knock some sense into him if I have to. Thanks for me telling me. Are you two going to watch the show?”

“Actually, we’re going to my place,” came Rachel’s casual answer. “You got this, Steph?”

“Yeah,” Steph said, smirking. “Thanks again, you two. Have fun.”

Chloe blinked.

“Fun? What…” she started to ask, but Rachel was already dragging her away.

* * *

“Don’t worry, Mom, we’ll make it in time for the show,” Rachel lied to her mother over the phone. “Yes, I’m sure. She’s helping her mom finish an extra shift at the diner. Yes, Chloe is a sweetheart. I promise we’ll head straight to school as soon as the diner closes up. Tell Dad I’ll see you both there. Bye, Mom. I love you, too.”

Chloe, standing on the seat of a swing, shook her head.

“Wow,” she said when Rachel put her phone away, “those are some pretty high standards you’re setting up for me, Amber. Your mom’s gonna be so disappointed when she realizes I’m not my mom’s little helper.”

Rachel, occupying the swing beside her and also standing on the seat, laughed.

“No way. She’s going to think you’re amazing, because you are.”

“I don’t think your definition of amazing is the same as everyone else’s, Rachel,” Chloe remarked, starting to swing back and forth.

“Then everyone sucks!” Rachel declared, following suit, and soon they were both laughing, trying to outswing each other.

When Chloe had gained enough momentum, she launched herself off the swing with a loud whoop. She landed a few feet away, turning around and striking a pose for Rachel.

“Let’s see what you got, Queen of the Bay!” she said, gesturing at the empty playground that they had to themselves. “No one here but me, show off that super jump!”

“Oh, I’ll show you, Chloe Price!” Rachel called back, eyes lighting up at the challenge.

With a burst of strength that nearly had her swinging over the bars, Rachel leaped, sailing over Chloe and landing on a tree across the road.

“So. Fucking. Awesome!” Chloe cheered, running over to the tree and finding Rachel perched on a branch. “So, are you one of those cats who can climb up a tree but can’t climb down?” she teased, grinning up at Rachel.

“Why?” Rachel challenged, smirking. “Are you here to rescue to me?”

Chloe sighed dramatically and held out her arms.

“If I must.”

Rachel laughed.

“As romantic as it sounds to jump into your arms, I don’t want to hurt you.”

Chloe snorted, undeterred.

“What, you don’t have healing powers? Lame!”

“I can kiss where it hurts to make you feel better,” Rachel said, smiling innocently, “does that count?”

“If making me lose my mind is a superpower,” Chloe muttered, approaching the tree.

“It is to me,” Rachel quipped, jumping down to join Chloe.

“Shoulda expected the super hearing,” Chloe said.

“You should have,” Rachel agreed, sitting down and patting the spot next to her. “We can hang out here. We’ll still see when my parents leave.”

Chloe beamed, hurrying over.

“Let the stakeout commence,” she said, and then laughed when Rachel immediately snuggled up to her. “You’re such a clingy cat, Rachel Amber.”

“Deal with it,” came the playful comeback.

“Ugh, who’s been trying to call me?” Chloe grumbled, getting her phone. “It’s Steph. Calling her back.”

Rachel, checking her own phone, laughed.

Before Chloe could ask about it, Steph picked up.

_“Chloe! Finally! I was trying to call Rachel. I need to talk to her. You are still with her, right?”_

Chloe held her phone to Rachel, who shook her head and motioned for her to continue.

“Uh, yeah, I am, but for some reason, she wants me to keep talking to you. What’s up? Is this about Drew? Why do you need to talk to Rachel for that?”

_“It’s not about Drew. I handled that.”_

“And you want to talk to Rachel because?”

_“Sorry to cut your date short, but we need Rachel ASAP. Victoria’s freaking out.”_

“Totally freaking out,” Rachel confirmed, showing Chloe her phone and the flood of texts from Victoria, each more desperate than the last. “You’d think someone who wanted a part so badly would, you know, actually learn her lines.”

Chloe snickered.

“Can’t say I’m surprised. She was happy to copy my Chem homework.”

“Ah, yes, the CUNSn incident.”

_“Guys, I’m glad you two are having a moment right now, but can you speed it up?”_ Steph grumbled.

Rachel signaled for Chloe’s phone, which she happily handed over.

“Steph, as much as I’d love to get my part and my costume back - the costume you designed especially for me and my mother helped me make - what Chloe and I are doing is more important.”

“ _Oh, come on, Rachel,”_ Steph whined. _“She follows you like a lovesick puppy. Just lead her back here and give her a reward later!”_

“Sorry, Steph,” Rachel said, genuinely apologetic. “You’ll figure it out. I know it.”

Steph sighed.

_“We have some time before the show. I guess I can help run her lines.”_

Rachel smiled.

“See? You’ve got this.”

“Good luck!” Chloe exclaimed, making Steph groan.

_“I’m hanging up before she jinxes the rest of the play. If you change your mind in the next half hour, Rachel, Prospera’s yours. Never should have been anyone else’s.”_

“Break a leg, Steph,” Rachel said, bumping Chloe.

“Break a leg?” Chloe asked, confused.

“You don’t say good luck, you say break a leg. Saying good luck is bad luck,” Rachel explained as she handed Chloe’s phone back.

Chloe snorted, answering the shoulder bump with a gentle shove.

“That’s stupid,” she said, taking her phone. “And that’s just mean, telling Steph to spend time with Victoria. She might break her leg for real to get out of that. I would.”

“Then it’s a good thing you’re here with me,” Rachel quipped.

“Hell, yeah,” Chloe agreed, grinning. “Two good days in a row. That’s a record for me.”

“Day’s not over yet, though,” Rachel reminded her, frowning. “Whatever my dad’s hiding is probably going to ruin it.”

“Shit, sorry,” Chloe mumbled, cursing herself, “didn’t mean to make it all about me. You wanna talk about it?”

Rachel sighed.

“I don’t know. There’s just something about that woman. I’ve never seen my dad look so… powerless. It’s weird. I keep trying to think what she may have on him, and why he can’t find a way out, mistress or not. I don’t want to think about it anymore, it was driving me crazy last night. I kind of wish they just kissed, so at least I’d know for sure.”

“You do?” Chloe asked, and Rachel shook her head.

“If that happened, I probably would have gotten really, really pissed, and we found out today how bad that can be. That would have made me hate him so much. I don’t even want to think what I would have done.”

Chloe reached into her jacket pocket.

“Do you think we got enough catnip?”

Rachel smiled and then tucked her head under Chloe’s chin.

“I hope so.”

* * *

Once the Ambers’ car had driven out of sight, Chloe followed Rachel through the streets and into the house, wheezing by the time she made it to the front door.

“Damn. Super. Cat,” she gasped, doubled over.

“We only ran a few blocks,” Rachel said, rubbing her back soothingly.

“Just a few blocks!” Chloe parroted in a shrill voice. “A few blocks!”

“Only 16, and you already have the lungs of a 40-year-old chainsmoker,” Rachel lamented, sighing. “What a tragedy.”

“Shut up,” came the breathless whine.

“Being healthy still isn’t a superpower, by the way,” Rachel teased, making her way to the kitchen and getting a glass of water.

“Says the girl who turns into a lion!” Chloe retorted, looking up just as Rachel approached her.

“Here,” Rachel said, handing the glass to her. “You should drink eight of those a day, you know.”

“Who has time for that?” Chloe muttered, taking greedy gulps that almost had her coughing.

“You’re also supposed to sip,” Rachel unhelpfully added.

Chloe finished off the glass, and then gave Rachel a shove.

“All these rules,” she said, shaking her head. “Jesus fucking Christ, look at this place!” she exclaimed when she finally took in the interior of the Amber residence. “Am I the cheapest thing you’ve ever brought home? Probably, right? Definitely.”

“Well, I’ve never brought anyone home,” Rachel pointed out, giving her an appraising smile, “and you, Chloe Price, are priceless.”

“Oh, ha-ha, a pun,” Chloe said, trying to look unimpressed but betrayed by the blush on her face.

“Clever, I know,” Rachel gloated, smirking, but mercifully didn’t tease Chloe further, instead leading her to an electronic lock on the wall. “This is my dad’s office,” she said, punching in the four number code.

The light on the lock went from red to green, and Rachel opened the door without incident.

“What did you need me for again?” Chloe asked, following Rachel inside.

“Your excellent company,” Rachel replied, winking at her.

Chloe chuckled.

“Well, you know I’m good to fucking go on that. Let’s check his computer,” she said, going behind the desk and taking a seat.

“Good idea,” Rachel agreed, casually sitting on her lap. “I figure he doesn’t bother with a password since it’s in his allegedly secure office. And look at that, I’m right.”

“Score,” Chloe declared, watching as Rachel opened a web browser.

“Nothing in his emails,” Rachel noted after a bit of searching. “Guess we’re sleuthing the old fashioned way.”

“Cool,” Chloe said, cracking her knuckles. “Up and at ‘em, kitty cat. I can’t help you snoop if you keep using me as a chair.”

“Fine,” Rachel relented with a bit of a pout. “I’ll check his desk, you take the file cabinet.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Chloe said, getting to her feet and striding over to the other side of the room, where there was a large file cabinet next to a map of Arcadia Bay, areas and people of interested marked on it. “Hey, looks like your dad’s already on Frank’s tail.”

“Yeah?” Rachel asked, distracted as she looked through the drawers.

“Yeah, and, look, he even knows Frank’s a fucking pedo,” Chloe said, continuing to read the document pinned next to Frank’s picture on the map. “Why the hell hasn’t he done anything?”

“Probably because he still needs that pedo to get to his boss,” Rachel guessed, opening the bottom left drawer and scowling when she saw the bottle of wine. “Well, there’s the missing Sherry my mom’s been looking for. He’s supposed to be cutting on the drinking. I’d call him an asshole, but we’re digging for something worse.”

“Asshole,” Chloe said, making Rachel smile.

“Thank you.”

Chloe gave a salute.

“Anytime. So, what were you saying? Your dad’s keeping Frank in the streets because he’s trying to get to his boss?”

“Yeah,” Rachel said, moving to the right side drawers. “Damon Merrick. I’ve heard my dad mention him a few times when he’s on the phone. The way that pedo was talking in the RV, it’s obvious Damon trusts him to do important shit for him. That’s big. That’s something my dad will use, but only when it suits him.”

“And to hell with it if Frank adds another teenaged girl to this list, right?” Chloe growled, glaring at the document.

“‘For the greater good’, my dad would say.”

“Yeah, well, I say bullshit.”

“It is, yeah,” Rachel agreed, looking troubled. “My dad’s been on a warpath against drugs since he became DA. Damon Merrick is the main source of that shit in Arcadia Bay, and I guess he doesn’t care about who gets hurt along the way, just that he gets Damon in the end.”

Chloe huffed.

“Doesn’t make it right.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Rachel agreed again.

“Bet you he wouldn’t think it’s for the greater good when he finds out Frank was hitting on you today,” Chloe said, opening the middle drawer of the file cabinet.

“Huh. You know, I actually don’t know what he’d do,” Rachel said, closing the top drawer and going for the bottom. “This one’s locked. Think we found it.”

“Yeah?” Chloe asked, closing the file cabinet and joining Rachel. “We gonna try looking for a key, or are you just gonna---”

Rachel yanked the locked drawer open with ease.

“Do that,” Chloe finished. “A letter. One letter. That’s the only thing in there? That’s not suspicious at all,” she said, scoffing.

Rachel picked up the envelope, brows furrowing as she read the back.

“Sera Gearhardt.”

“Anyone you know?” Chloe asked, and Rachel shook her head.

“No,” she said, opening the envelope and taking out the letter.

_James,_

_Yes, it’s really me. No, I didn’t die from an overdose. I had to do it to get the hunters off my back after you abandoned me. You took Rachel from me, James. You left me in that shithole, and you took my baby girl._

_I know some part of you believes me. Some part of you knows I’m not crazy. You brought Rachel to Arcadia Bay after you thought I was dead, and I know you did that because you believed me when I said it was the safest place to hide._

_She is my daughter. She is like me. You know this, but you deny it like you denied me when I told you what I am. She may be safe now, but she’s growing, and so is her power, and if she doesn’t have someone to guide her - if she doesn’t have me, James - then those hunters are going to find her, and they’re going to kill her._

_I’m coming to Arcadia Bay. Consider this letter a courtesy._

“Holy fucking shit,” Chloe whispered, and then looked at Rachel, watching as she read the letter over and over. “That woman---”

“Is like me,” Rachel said, turning to face her. “There’s someone like me, and she’s my mother. My real mother. And my dad…” she trailed off, looking back down at the letter in her hands.

Chloe’s only warning was the tear of the paper before desk split in half, crushed when Rachel slammed her hands down on it.

“Chloe.”

Chloe, frantically searching her jacket pockets, looked up and met Rachel’s gold eyes.

“Get me out of here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know how a catnip joint works.
> 
> Sheparrdtumb over at tumblr made this [amazing post about the first scene of chapter one](https://sheparrdtumb.tumblr.com/post/171484011572/the-cats-meow-so-the-reason-for-my-absence). Check it out!


	3. Among the Pigeons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sheparrdtumb made another great post, this time of [a scene in chapter two](https://sheparrdtumb.tumblr.com/post/171538409537/the-cats-meow-chapter-2-chloe-giving-rachel-a)!

Chloe woke up to a strange smell and a weight on her stomach.

“‘Morning, sleepyhead.”

Chloe blinked until the sight of Rachel Amber draped on her like a lazy cat was clear. Rachel Amber, who was wearing not but a smile.

Chloe sucked in a breath so fast ended up coughing, and then she looked up so fast that her neck hurt.

“What a gentleman,” Rachel cooed. “Sleep well?”

“I did, yeah,” Chloe replied, staring resolutely at her ceiling. “Uh, you? How about you? You sleep good?”

“Hella good,” Rachel said. “You’re a comfy pillow, Chloe Price, and you provide complementary catnip joints. The perfect host, I’d say.”

Chloe chanced a glance, looking at Rachel’s face and seeing the joint she was smoking.

“Enjoying yourself, huh?” she asked, chuckling.

“Very much,” Rachel said, taking a long drag. “You wanna join me?”

Chloe grinned, reaching for her own joint on the nightstand. Rachel rolled off her, snuggling to her side and holding up her lighter. Chloe smirked, leaning in and letting Rachel light her.

“Nothing like waking up and blazing with Rachel Amber,” she said after taking a drag.

“Nothing like waking up naked in Chloe Price’s arms, either,” Rachel countered, laughing when Chloe ended up coughing on her next drag.

“Ugh, just get high already, smartass” Chloe grumbled, relenting to the back rub Rachel silently demanded after.

* * *

“Got so pissed you had to go for the catnip?”

“Yeah. Was fine when I woke up. Great, even. You felt great. Then I started thinking, started remembering. Then I got angry.”

“Sucks. Thanks for not turning into a lion and crushing me.”

“Back rub.”

“Right, right. Sorry.”

“Didn’t wanna wreck your room like I wrecked my dad’s office. I like your room. And I like you.”

“I like you, too.”

“How like?”

“Hella like.”

“I love it when you say hella.”

“I figured.”

“My word. My mark. Mine.”

“Buzz kicking in, huh?”

“Belly rub.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Do you like me?”

“I hella like you.”

“Good. You better. ‘Cause I hella like you, too.”

“Can’t you, uh, you know, tell if I like you?”

“Like how I could tell that pedo did?”

“Ew, no! Not like that! I mean, like you like--- wait, I do?”

“Not yet. Too cute. Too shy. Also, it’s not gross if it’s you, so no ew.”

“Oh. Okay, no ew. So, is it like a smell or something?”

“Kind of, but more sense than smell. Hard to explain. And I want to hear you say you like me. More special coming from you than me.”

“Not to make this actually gross, but now I’m kinda wondering why Frank never tried anything with me. I’m not wishing he did or anything, but I’m technically a teenage girl. Hell, was even younger when I first started buying weed from him.”

“That’s ‘cause your dick’s way bigger than his.”

“And that’s it, you’re officially high.”

“Less laugh, more rubs.”

It was at that moment, with Rachel arching into Chloe’s hand as it drifted down her midriff, that Joyce walked inside the room.

* * *

“Mom, I can explain,” Chloe said, holding up her joint, “we’re high.”

“Like fucking angels,” Rachel added unhelpfully, raising her own joint.

Joyce sighed, not looking any bit relieved.

“Chloe Elizabeth Price. You and your… friend Rachel are going to sober up. You girls will take a shower, put on clean clothes, and you will go downstairs, have some breakfast, and we will talk.”

“But Mom,” Chloe tried to protest.

“We will talk,” Joyce repeated sternly, giving Chloe one last withering look before leaving.

Five minutes later, Rachel burst into giggles.

“Really?” Chloe said, but she was also starting to laugh. “You know my mom thinks you’re some kind of nudist stoner now, right?”

“You know your mom thinks we fucked, right?” Rachel countered, and Chloe’s eyes went comically wide.

“Oh. Oh, shit.”

“There it is.”

Chloe, realizing her hand was still on Rachel’s belly, withdrew it, and then, realizing she was staring at Rachel’s naked body, she averted her eyes to the ceiling.

“You, uh, wanna shower first since you’re already…” she trailed off, gesturing at Rachel’s general direction, “shower-ready.”

“A shower does sound nice,” Rachel said, sitting up and stretching. “Mind if I raid your closet? I want to wear clean clothes.”

Chloe huffed.

“Clean? You’re better off licking yourself clean,” she said, and immediately cringed. “That… didn’t sound right.”

Rachel laughed.

“I don’t think your mom would appreciate having a lion walking around the house.”

“Might appreciate it more than a girl she’s assuming I fucked,” Chloe muttered, blushing. “Do you wanna just get out of here? Escape’s right there,” she said, looking at her window.

“And let you face your mom and future stepfuck alone?” Rachel countered. “No. Besides, I don’t feel like going home yet.”

“Oh. Sorry, I didn’t mean that you should go.”

“I know. It’s okay.”

Chloe sat up, eyes fixed on the wall.

“Okay, so how about… you go ahead and shower, and I’ll see what I can do about the clothes,” she said, glancing at Rachel and catching her smile.

“Sounds like a plan.”

* * *

Chloe was pouring the last drops of soda on the dying plant when Rachel entered her room, covered in a towel, her pirate towel.

“Wow, Chloe,” Rachel said, looking around and not seeming to notice she was staring, “you cleaned up fast. Are you watering that plant with soda?”

It took a while for Chloe to shift her gaze from the towel to Rachel’s face.

“Uh. Yeah,” was her eloquent response.

Rachel put her hands on her hips, amused.

“Giving it a quicker death. That’s dark.”

Chloe grinned.

“Too dark?”

“Perfect dark,” Rachel quipped, bumping shoulders before wandering over to the bed, where Chloe had laid out an assortment of clothes. “So, am I free to take my pick of Chloe Price’s wardrobe?”

“Hah, yeah,” Chloe affirmed with a nervous laugh. “This is all I could find that’s clean. I even went through my dad’s stuff, the two jackets and shirts over there. Some of these are from when I was younger, thought they may fit you better. I could keep looking, if you want.”

“No, this is fine,” Rachel said. “Your dad’s stuff, though, that’s all yours. I think the dragon shirt with the mechanic jacket would look so fucking hot on you.”

“Yeah?” Chloe asked, grinning despite blushing. “Anything there you’re liking?”

“This lighthouse shirt looks nice,” Rachel remarked, picking up the gray shirt and holding it in front of her. “I think it’ll be a better fit than most. This one of your old clothes?”

Chloe nodded.

“Haven’t worn it in ages. Not since my dad died, actually.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with me wearing this?” Rachel asked, frowning.

“Hey, it’s cool,” Chloe said, nudging her. “I wouldn’t have included it if it wasn’t. You like it?”

Rachel hugged the shirt to her body, smiling and actually looking a bit shy.

“Yeah. I do.”

“Awesome,” Chloe said, smiling at the sight a little longer before grabbing the shirt and jacket that Rachel liked. “Okay, my turn to shower. Room’s all yours, feel free to do whatever while you wait.”

“You want your towel?” Rachel asked, and Chloe tripped on the way out.

“Uh, no. No, I’ll use a different one.”

“Having some booty-plundering thoughts there, Captain Bluebeard?”

“Oh, my God, shut up.”

* * *

Chloe stopped at the door, checking herself one last time before finally going in her room. A song by Metal was playing on her old stereo. Rachel, browsing on her computer, spun around when she walked in.

“Holy shit,” Rachel breathed, giving her an appreciative look over, “you look really fucking hot. Love the boots. They your dad’s, too?”

With a nervous laugh, Chloe approached Rachel, blushing when Rachel reeled her in by the suspenders and pawed at the dragon on her shirt.

“Yeah. And I’d have worn the beanie we found in the truck, too, but I figured I should clean it first,” she said.

“You’re learning,” Rachel praised, smiling in approval. “Wear it next time. You’d look even hotter.”

Chloe chuckled.

“You bet. So, find anything interesting to do to kill time?”

“I was enjoying your excellent taste in music,” Rachel said, doing a little dance on her seat that had Chloe laughing, “and I was reading how the play went.”

“Yeah? Did Victoria crash and burn, or did Steph pull a miracle out of her gay ass?”

“See for yourself.”

Rachel scooted back to reveal the screen. Chloe took just one look at the picture before she was laughing again.

“No fucking way! She pulled Steph on stage at the end of show and kissed her? Shit, that must have been some help Steph gave her.”

“It was a kiss on the cheek,” Rachel pointed out, “but, yeah, looks like she nailed it thanks to Steph.”

“Oh, man, I feel so bad for Steph,” Chloe said, still laughing. “What’s it gonna take to wash those bitch cooties off?”

“If she even wants them off,” Rachel argued, and Chloe immediately stopped laughing.

“Wait, you’re not saying… ew, Rachel! Victoria, seriously? Don’t insult Steph like that, she actually has good taste.”

“Oh?” Rachel asked, and Chloe scoffed.

“Yeah, you don’t go from having a crush on Rachel Amber to… to whatever the fuck that is with Victoria Chase.”

“Well, I do think Steph is cute,” Rachel said, laughing, “but not as cute as you.”

When Chloe’s only response was to blush, Rachel took her hand and began to lead her out.

“Come on. Let’s go downstairs before your mom thinks we’re fucking again.”

* * *

Downstairs, the first person they saw was David, who looked to have been waiting for them.

“About time,” he grumbled, sneering when he saw that they were holding hands. “I see you’ll stop at nothing to tear this family apart, Chloe, going as far as forcing one of your friends to take part in this… deviant behavior.”

Chloe was about to bark back at him, but Rachel stepped in front of her.

“Chloe didn’t force me to do anything, asshole,” she snapped, growling at David, “and the only one tearing her family apart is you!”

David took a step back, at first looking stunned, and then his expression darkened.

“I don’t know what exaggerations Chloe has been telling you,” he said, “but this is my house, and I will not be disrespected.”

Chloe scoffed.

“Your house? You haven’t even been here for a fucking day, and now it’s your house?”

“Girls!” Joyce yelled, emerging from the kitchen. “And David,” she said belatedly, putting a hand on his shoulder, “let’s not fight. We shouldn’t involve Rachel with our family matters. Now, please, let’s all just sit and have some breakfast.”

Joyce retreated back to the kitchen but David lingered, staring them down. Rachel glared back at him until he turned away with a grunt, making his way to the table.

“Oh, shit,” Chloe whispered, snickering, “I think his balls just crawled inside his body.”

“Offer to maul him stands,” Rachel whispered back, winking before tugging Chloe over to the table.

Chloe laughed, not bothering to be subtle, which earned her a reprimanding look from Joyce in the kitchen and a grunt from David when she and Rachel sat down. David looked even more put off when he saw they were still holding hands, aggravated further when Rachel brought their hands on the table.

“Here we are,” Joyce announced, setting down two plates, one with a stack of pancakes and the other with eggs and bacon. She quickly ran back to fetch another plate and set of utensils, which she placed next to David, saying, “It’s a good thing David made an extra batch of pancakes, else we’d be short.”

Chloe, who was about to pile half the stack on her plate, scowled and opted for the bacon.

David made a displeased sound at the rejection, and when Rachel also ignored the pancakes for the eggs, Joyce frowned.

“Girls, please,” she pleaded. “You’re being so unfair to David. Chloe, David is making an effort and you won’t even give him a chance. And Rachel, you just met David and you’re already so against him.”

“Yes, Mrs. Price, I’m on Chloe’s side,” Rachel said, squeezing Chloe’s hand and making sure it was noticed by both adults. “Just because no one else is doesn’t mean it’s the wrong side.”

Joyce sighed.

“It’s not about taking sides…” she started to say, but then she shook her head. “Look, let’s not fight, Rachel, not when David and I just met you. I can understand why you’re feeling so protective of Chloe. I must admit, I didn’t know you two were… together like that. I thought you just met.”

“Mom, we didn’t fuck, okay? You can stop being so weird about it,” Chloe said with a huff, her face already turning red.

“But,” Joyce protested, not at all convinced, “Rachel was…”

“Naked. Yes, I was, Mrs. Price,” Rachel finished for Joyce, who was becoming flustered. “It’s just… something I do when I get high. I’m sorry I was being inappropriate in your home,” she said, emphasizing the last two words while looking at David.

“Are you also sorry that you brought marijuana into this house?” David asked, making Joyce gasp.

“David!”

“Hey, back off!” Chloe barked, hitting the table with her fist. “You seriously think Rachel had weed? It was mine, dumbass.”

David turned to Joyce, who looked cowed, and crossed his arms.

“So, you finally admit it, Chloe,” he said. “I was right. I knew you were hiding it somewhere.”

“Wait, you let him trash my room?” Chloe asked Joyce. “What the fuck, Mom?”

“What the fuck,” Rachel seconded, looking disgusted with Joyce.

“Chloe, that was before---” Joyce started to say, but Chloe shot up from her seat.

“Before what,” she hissed, “before you realized that, ‘Oh, maybe I shouldn’t let my fascist boyfriend go through my daughter’s shit like she’s some kind of criminal.’ Bad enough you let him into the house, Mom, even after I’ve said over and over that I hated his guts, but you also let him in my room, and then you stood back and watched while he took a dump on my stuff!”

“Chloe!”

“Apologize to your mother right now!”

“Bullshit!” Rachel snapped, surprising Joyce and David. “Chloe’s right. Fuck this. She’s your daughter, your only daughter,” she told Joyce, and then pointed at David, “and you may let this man walk all over you, but you don’t get to drag Chloe down with you. She deserves more than that, and she deserves more than you.”

With a look that mirrored the one Sera had given James at the overlook, Rachel stormed out, taking Chloe with her.

* * *

Chloe didn’t flinch when she heard a crash, one that sounded like a large vehicle - probably the school bus - being forcefully toppled over. She sat up, scooting to the edge of a truck bed just as a huffing lion jumped off the overturned school bus.

“Just not our shack, okay?” she called out to Rachel. “And if you find something cool, give it here! We need to spruce up our home away hell.”

Giving a sharp tail swish as confirmation, Rachel sent a flock of birds scattering and disappeared off to the other side of the junkyard, far from both the truck and the small, incomplete brick building they had taken to calling theirs.

More toppled restaurant signs and flipped cars later, Rachel came back.

“Couldn’t find anything?” Chloe asked, grinning when Rachel snorted. “Nothing clean, huh? Should I be pointing out that you’re touching the dirt with your bare paws? And that I put the dirty beach towel on the bed here?”

Rachel huffed and climbed on the truck bed, bumping into her on purpose. Chloe chuckled, bracing herself on Rachel as the truck rattled under a lion’s weight being thrown around. When Rachel finally settled, Chloe had been forced to the far end corner of the truck bed with Rachel’s head on her lap.

“Lemme guess, you want pets,” Chloe teased, getting a tail thump in response. “Yes, O Queen of the Bay, at your service.”

Chloe began to pet Rachel, starting from the top of her head and then stroking down her spine. She focused briefly on Rachel’s ears, giving the back of each ear a good scratch until Rachel’s back leg was kicking. Next were scratches under her chin, which had Rachel closing her eyes.

“Like that, huh?” Chloe said, grinning. “Rachel Amber, badass super lion, putty in my hands like an oversized house cat.”

Rachel responded by leaning further into Chloe’s hand and then raised her leg, exposing her belly.

“A belly rub now? But my hand’s getting tired already, you’re a lotta lion, you know,” Chloe said, laughing when Rachel gently nipped at her fingers and then licked her face. “Ack, no, not the sandpaper tongue!”

Satisfied with the surrender, Rachel lay her head back on Chloe’s lap and thumped her tail on the truck bed, raised leg wiggling in impatience. Chloe got right to work, using both hands to sweep along Rachel’s belly, eventually making Rachel roll on her back.

When Rachel yawned and her breathing started to slow, Chloe stopped, saying, “I’m beat,” and repositioned to use Rachel as a makeshift recliner. Rachel didn’t object, instead curling around Chloe.

“So, that was some pretty intense shit, huh? Back at my house,” Chloe said, idly petting the back of Rachel’s head. “Thanks for having my back. You always do, and I’m always thanking you. Is that weird?”

Rachel opened her eyes and began to move, but Chloe stopped her.

“Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to turn back. If you don’t mind me talking, anyway.”

Rachel curled back around Chloe, attentive gold eyes on her.

“Anyway,” Chloe went on, resuming the idle petting, “my mom’s been texting to me since we left, says she wants to talk shit over. Her idea of talking is waiting for me to say what she wants to hear. I’m getting tired of being honest with her. Maybe I should just go along with it. Telling her the truth just upsets her, anyway, and it… makes me feel bad that I made my mom sad.”

Rachel retorted with a snort that could only mean ‘bullshit’ in lion.

“Yeah,” Chloe mumbled. “Pathetic, I know,” she said, which earned her a tail smack. “Ow! What the hell, what I’d say!”

Rachel smacked her again.

“All I said was I’m pathetic!”

Another smack.

“Fuck, that stings! Okay, okay, I’m not pathetic! Happy, now?

Rachel’s tail, poised for more hits, dropped back down, finally satisfied with her answer.

“Talk about tough love,” Chloe muttered, rubbing her sore forearm as she glared at the lion she was leaning on.

Rachel nudged her hand away, nuzzling where she had been rubbing.

“What’s this? The big, badass lion is sorry?” Chloe teased, smiling and petting Rachel. “Yeah, we’re cool. It doesn’t really hurt, I swear.”

Convinced, Rachel further curled around Chloe, who snuggled up to her.

“So, you feel like going home yet?” Chloe asked, scratching behind Rachel’s ears. “Or do we need more catnip before we do that?”

Rachel nuzzled her hand, and then yawned.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Chloe agreed, also yawning. “Nap first.”

* * *

Chloe opened her eyes, finding a lion looking back at her.

“Hey, Rachel,” she greeted, yawning and stretching. “Good nap?”

Lion eyes blinked at her. Lion eyes that were white, not gold.

Chloe blinked back, and then looked down, seeing that Rachel was still asleep. She looked back at the white-eyed lion, who was watching her closely.

“So, you’re…” she started to say, but the lion interrupted her with a grunt, looking meaningfully at Rachel. “Wake her up? Yeah, I’ll do that. Rachel,” she said, placing a hand on Rachel’s shoulder and shaking her.

It took a few seconds, which the lion - the bigger lion, Chloe noticed now - spent impatiently swishing her tail. Rachel stirred, sniffing once before darting to her feet, alerted by the other lion’s presence.

“Hey!” Chloe squawked, easily thrown aside.

Rachel approached the older, bigger lion, who stepped back from the truck and sat a few feet away. Rachel followed, sniffing curiously while the other lion calmly allowed the inspection.

When Rachel was done, her ears unfolded as she looked the other lion in the eye. The other lion then licked the top of Rachel’s head, meaning to groom her, and Rachel leaned in, accepting the maternal affection.

Chloe, having scooted to the edge of the truck bed, watched the pair with a smile. She smoothed out Rachel’s clothes on her lap, which had been a little wrinkled when Rachel had used them as a pillow for a while.

When Chloe looked up again, she still saw mother and daughter, but no longer as lions. As she quickly averted her eyes, she heard Rachel speak first, saying one word through tears.

“Mom.”

“Oh, Rachel, my girl,” came the equally emotional response. “My baby girl.”

Chloe stood up, wincing when she was noticed despite her attempts to be quiet.

“I’m gonna give you two some privacy,” she told them, already going around the truck. “Wish I managed to grab dad’s toolbox before we left,” she said to herself, patting the hood. “Still think I could f--- fuck, Rachel!”

Rachel, who had appeared in front of her in a blink, smiled like a lion about to make the kill.

“Do you, now? And where are you going?”

Frantically catching Rachel’s clothes before they fell, Chloe could only manage a sputter of, “P-Privacy? Give you?”

“Running off with my clothes?” Rachel teased, cornering her against the side of the truck. “And without meeting my mom? Not very gentlemanly, Chloe Price.”

Chloe tried to look at her feet, but Rachel was in the way. She quickly looked back up, blushing furiously.

“So cute,” Rachel cooed, leaning in and giving her a peck on the cheek.

“Rachel, stop tormenting the girl,” came a chiding voice, “and get dressed, for her sake. Poor thing looks like she’s about to faint.”

“Yes, Mom,” Rachel answered playfully, taking her clothes from Chloe’s lax grip with a wink.

Fully clothed in no time, Rachel took Chloe’s hand and led her back around the truck, where an equally clothed Sera Gearhardt appeared to be waiting for them.

“Chloe, this is my mom Sera. Mom, my Chloe,” Rachel said, showing Chloe off.

“Whoa,” Chloe blurted, looking at Sera with wide eyes, “you got a super power that makes clothes?”

Sera laughed.

“She’s funny.”

Rachel smiled, her eyes on Chloe.

“She is. And mine.”

* * *

“So, is there a whole pride of you?”

Sera took a moment to answer, smiling at the sight of Rachel sitting on Chloe’s lap. Now that she wasn’t currently a lion, Rachel refused to touch any part of the truck bed or the beach towel, claiming that Chloe, despite having been in contact with both objects, was still cleaner than either.

“You could say that,” Sera said, cupping Rachel’s cheek and smiling sadly, “a long, long time ago, when I was just a child myself. Then the hunters found us, picked us off one by one, until there was just me and my mother, and then... there was just me.”

Before Sera could go on, Rachel launched herself at her mother, moving from Chloe’s lap to hers. Sera, surprised at first, was quick to embrace her daughter, kissing the top of her head and smiling.

“I bounced from home to home for a while,” Sera went on. “The last thing my mother told me was to hide, not just from the hunters but from the world. By the time I met your father, I’d been pretending for so long that I started to believe that I was really just like everyone else. Then you were born, Rachel, and the world reminded me that I’m not--- that we are not.”

“The hunters found us because I was born?” Rachel asked, and Sera hushed her immediately.

“It was my fault, Rachel. I didn’t know. I thought you’d be like your father. I didn’t know. Then, one day, while your father was at work, I saw them coming. I led them away, and your father, he was so angry that I left you at the house. We had a fight, and---”

“He didn’t believe you?” Rachel cut in, growling. “Why the fuck not?”

“I escaped from the hunters, but they wounded me with this… poison. When I tried to prove to your father I was telling the truth, I couldn’t,” Sera said, a haunted look in her eyes. “He didn’t believe me, thought I was losing my mind, that I must have been on something. So, he left. With you.”

“That’s so fucked up,” Chloe growled, making the mother-daughter pair look at her. “He had to think you were dead before he took Rachel to Arcadia Bay?”

“And why did you go to him first and not me?” Rachel asked, both hurt and angry. “At the overlook, you must have known I was there. Why did you just leave after you talked to him?”

“I did know you were there,” Sera admitted, and then sighed. “I went to James first because, despite what he’s done to me, Rachel, he did it to protect you. I thought that, since he brought you to Arcadia Bay, he finally understood, he finally believed. I thought he would bring you to see me, but he didn’t, and I got angry. Too angry. I had to leave.”

Rachel pushed away from Sera, settling back into Chloe’s arms.

“And the day after? You still didn’t show.”

Serah looked at their joint hands and smiled.

“Because of this,” she said, briefly placing her hand over theirs. “I followed you here yesterday, but then I saw you with Chloe, how happy you were with her, how free you felt in a way I never did, and it felt wrong to take that away from you if it meant I just had to wait one more day to meet you.”

Rachel shared a look with Chloe, showing a rare shyness.

“She is what your father could never be for me,” Sera went on, “who you hold on to when you feel like you might lose yourself. That’s what you did, Rachel, at that pig’s RV, at your father’s office. You held on to her.”

“I threw Dad’s file cabinet through the wall before she could get me out of the house,” Rachel mumbled, “after I tore it in half.”

“Yes, you did,” Sera affirmed, amused, “and you could have done so much worse, but you didn’t because you didn’t want to hurt Chloe.”

“She is mine,” Rachel whispered, making Chloe blush.

“Such a cat,” Chloe said, rubbing the back of her neck. “Wait, you were there while Frank was driving the RV?” she asked Sera.

“Are you imagining a lion on the roof of a moving RV?” Sera asked back.

“Uh, yeah!” Chloe exclaimed. “Is that what happened?”

“Not exactly,” Sera said, chuckling. “She’s excitable, isn’t she?” she told Rachel.

“Yes,” Rachel agreed, smiling and nuzzling Chloe. “So, what now, Mom? You said Arcadia Bay is safe, but not for long. There aren’t any hunters here, right? Who are those assholes, anyway? Why do they want to kill us?”

“I don’t know,” Sera said, frowning. “After you were born, I tried to find anything I could about us, what we are, who we are, the things my own mother never got the chance to tell me. The only thing I learned is that, however we came to be, it all started here in Arcadia Bay. It’s safe here, as long as you don’t do anything else.”

“Anything else?” Rachel asked.

“More superpowers? That’s fucking---” Chloe was interrupted by her phone ringing, which had her swearing and grumbling as she pulled it from her pocket. “It’s Steph,” she told Rachel, answering it. “Hey, dude, I’ll be happy to help you with your Chase Crisis, but not now, alright?”

_“Drew lied to me!”_  came the outburst from the other one.  _“He said he already gave the money up yesterday, but Mikey just told me that he gave it to their dad.”_

“Well, shit,” Chloe said, “I know I keep saying he doesn’t think, but this is stupid, even for him.”

_“Not the time, Chloe,”_  Steph snapped.  _“Drew left this morning, probably to meet up with Damon Merrick. Do you have any idea where that might be?”_

“Maybe the Old Mill. Frank said he owns that place. You gonna call the cops?” Chloe asked, and when Steph was silent for too long, she said, “I thought you didn’t involve yourself in other people’s stupid decisions.”

_“Thanks, Chloe,”_  was all Steph said, and the line went dead.

Chloe blinked at her phone, and then looked at Rachel and Sera, who had been listening.

“Shit,” Rachel sighed. “Steph’s going to the mill to try to stop Drew.”

Chloe snorted.

“That sounds stupid, which Steph isn’t.”

“No,” Rachel said, sighing again, “but if the cops get involved, Drew’s going to get busted for selling Oxy and he’s going to lose his scholarship. And you, Chloe Price, are currently wishing you managed to fix up this truck so you could drive up to the Old Mill, too.”

“Did you get mind reading powers just now?” Chloe asked, pouting when Rachel laughed. “Hey, this is serious! Sera said you shouldn’t be doing new superpowers!”

“Not a superpower,” Rachel said, giving Chloe a kiss on the cheek. “It’s just obvious you want to help. Let’s go.”

“Let’s go?” Chloe echoed.

“To that mill,” Sera answered, standing up along with Rachel. “You want to help your friends, don’t you?”

Chloe nodded, letting Rachel pull her up.

“You got a ride?” she asked Sera.

“No, you do,” Rachel said, smirking at her.

“Huh?”

“Didn’t you say something about wanting to ride your very own battle cat?”

* * *

When the world finally stopped being an endless blur, Chloe stiffly slid off her volunteer feline mount. She hit the ground with a groan, falling on her face but not moving for a good few minutes.

“That… was not as awesome as I thought it would be,” she wheezed, clutching her head and groaning again. “That wasn’t fast, Sera, that was super fast. There’s a difference! Ugh, I think I’m gonna throw up.”

Feeling a gentle weight against her forehead, Chloe looked up just as Sera nuzzled her in apology.

“I’m fine,” she said, lowering her head back down and taking a moment to just breathe. “Okay, I’m good. Lemme get those off.”

Sera seemed to nod, moving close so Chloe could remove the dirty, uncomfortable ropes around her body. It had been the closest thing to a harness American Rust had to offer.

“Jesus, talk about nasty rope burns,” Chloe said when she finally pulled the ropes off. “No wonder you wouldn’t let Rachel wear these. Are you gonna be okay, Sera?”

As soon as she asked the question, she noticed that the reddened, tender flesh was already starting to heal.

“Whoa, super healing in action. Can Rachel do that, too?”

Before she could get any sort of answer from Sera, Chloe was suddenly tackled back on the ground.

“Jesus, Rachel!” she barked at the happy young lion now hovering over her. “I know you can’t talk, but you don’t have to throw me down to say hello.”

Giving Chloe a nuzzle and a lick on the cheek, which had Chloe squawking, Rachel trotted over to Sera, who started to groom her despite her not staying still.

Chloe sat up, but her scowl turned into a smile when she saw the pair. Shaking her head, she grabbed the backpack next to her, which Rachel had knocked off earlier. It turned out that Sera didn’t have the power to materialize clothes out of thin air, but she did have a bag that she brought with her, which now contained both her and Rachel’s clothes.

“Are you two gonna stay like that?” Chloe asked as she joined them, Rachel greeting her with a gentle nudge that she answered with a hip bump.

Sera looked at Rachel first, then at Chloe, and began to head towards the Old Mill, just down the hill.

“So we’re just gonna walk up to a bunch of drug dealers and save the dumb jock,” Chloe said as she and Rachel followed Sera. “With two super lions, yeah. Yeah, that’ll work.”

* * *

“Hey, boss, he’s still standing!”

“Thinks he’s asking for more!”

Damon turned back around, finding Drew sagged against the bar and glaring at him. He sneered, sauntering over and admiring his handiwork so far, among which were a busted lip and a cut on the brow.

“You trying to prove something to me, kid?” he taunted, rolling his shoulders as Sheldon and Peter moved to his flanks. “You take my Oxy, you give my money away, and you think you can look at me like that? You think I don’t own you?” You should be licking the dog shit off my boots for giving you another chance.”

“Come on, man, he gets the message,” Frank said from the couch, a puppy on his lap. “You called his dad a piece of shit, ‘course that’s gonna get on his nerves.”

“Oh, so I hurt his feelings, is that it?” come the biting response, followed by a backhand that finally dropped Drew to the ground. “Gerald, what the hell is going on over there!” Damon demanded, going over to the other side of the mill. “Why are the dogs barking like crazy!”

“I don’t know, boss!”

“Then figure it out!”

As the barking only grew louder, Frank stood up, holding the puppy, who was shivering in fright, and he walked up to Damon.

“Look, I’m just saying, if you rough him up too much, he’s not gonna be able to play for a while. You really wanna make it harder for him to sell when he owes you a grand?”

Damon looked at Frank, eventually smiling and nodding.

“You’re right, Frank, you’re right,” he said, approaching Drew, “we shouldn’t rough him up too much.”

With two quick vicious kicks to Drew’s gut, Damon stepped away, letting Sheldon and Peter take over. As Sheldon and Peter began to beat on Drew relentlessly, the door suddenly opened. Thunder scrambled inside, moving so fast he was stumbling, and he quickly slammed the door shut.

“What the fuck,” Damon muttered, marching over to the terrified bouncer. “You better have a good fucking reaso---”

The wall to the left collapsed as a pair of lions charged in. The ground shook from the power of their roars, sending Sheldon and Peter running and screaming.

* * *

Damon moved first, shoving Thunder out of the way to open the door. Rachel was on them in seconds, cornering them and roaring. Damon and Thunder backed into the wall, arms flailing and feet kicking.

Rachel pounced, close enough to scare them into fleeing while allowing them an escape. With a string of swears, Damon was outside, Thunder not far behind him.

Rachel went further in the mill, finding Drew unconscious and Sera trapping Frank. He was pinned against the couch, the puppy in his arms having peed itself in fear. Sera slowly opened her mouth and bared her big, sharp teeth as Frank screaming in fear. Then, before she could close her jaw around his throat, Sera stepped back and sat down, watching him.

Frank stuttered and stammered, unable to form words, and then he bolted, Sera chasing after him. Rachel was about to follow her mother when Chloe entered the mill through the hole they had made.

“Shit,” she said when she saw Drew, hurrying over to check on him. “Okay. Okay, he’s just passed out, but we probably gotta get him to the hospital. Where’s Sera?” she asked Rachel, whose tail whipped back and forth in agitation.

Chloe was about to speak again when Rachel suddenly began to turn back.

“Whoa, hey!” Chloe yelped, stumbling to put herself between Rachel and Drew as if he would come to any second. “I know this whole naked thing is normal to you, but come on,” she grumbled, taking off the backpack and opening it. “Don’t just do it anywhere with who the fuck knows is around to see.”

“I think it’s really fucking hot you’re being possessive,” Rachel started to say, finding her clothes and immediately starting to get dressed, “but I just heard a car park outside. It’s Steph.”

“Oh, shit,” Chloe swore, standing up and helping Rachel with her pants.

The bra was next, which Chloe struggled with, much to Rachel’s amusement. When Rachel took over the task, Chloe grabbed the shirt - her lighthouse shirt - and held it up for Rachel.

Rachel’s hair was still tucked under the shirt when Steph ran inside.

“Chloe? Rachel? What are you--- oh, God, Drew!”

“He’s fine,” Chloe assured Steph as she came over. “I mean, he’s not fine, but, you know, he’s not dead, he just looks it.”

“He’s unconscious,” Rachel translated for Steph, who finally looked relieved. “We should get him to the hospital.”

“Yeah,” Steph said, taking one of Drew’s arms and slinging it over her shoulder as Chloe did the same. “What the hell happened? What are you two doing here?”

“We figured you were going to try to bail Drew out and thought you could use some backup,” Rachel answered, walking alongside them as they made their way to Steph’s car. “We got here just before you did. Looks like took off and just left Drew here. They probably thought we were the cops.”

“Yeah!” Chloe joined in, grunting with the effort of dragging Drew. “They just left the dogs there. What asshole would do that? Okay, the same kind of assholes who would beat the shit out of Drew, but…”

“Yeah, I heard the dogs,” Steph said, “they sounded really spooked.”

They made it to the car and put Drew in the backseat. Chloe joined him in the back as Steph raced to the driver’s seat. Rachel lingered, staring at the mill.

“Rachel?” Steph called.

Rachel turned back around, sharing a look with Chloe, and then got in the passenger’s seat.

* * *

“Mikey’s on his way with his dad and my folks,” Steph announced, sitting back down with Chloe and Rachel in the lobby. “Is this what it’s like to be you?” she asked Chloe, sagging in her seat. “I don’t know why you do it every day.”

“Do what every day?” Chloe asked back as Rachel, who had been withdrawn since the mill, absently played with her hand.

“Do something without thinking it through,” Steph said, shaking her head. “It’s exhausting. I don’t see the appeal,” she grumbled and then glanced at Rachel. “Okay, I do, but that doesn’t always apply.”

Chloe, with her free hand, gave Steph a comforting pat on the back.

“Crazy day, huh?”

“Beyond crazy,” Steph affirmed, shaking her head. “I can’t believe I drove to the middle of nowhere to… to what, give the drug dealers the money Drew owes and hope they’ll just let us go after that? All because I didn’t want him to lose his scholarship. Stupid. Should have called the cops.”

“You were looking out for Drew,” Rachel pointed out, looking at Steph. “That’s really awesome of you.”

“Hell, yeah,” Chloe agreed, nodding. “Drew is fucking lucky he’s your friend, Steph.”

“And I’m lucky you two showed up and scared the drug dealers off,” Steph added, turning to them with a little smile. “Thanks. Seriously. What was up with that hole in the wall, though? It looked like something big just smashed through it. Something really, really big.”

“Yeah,” Rachel said. “It was there before we were. Who knows what Damon does in that place when he’s not using it for concerts?”

“Maybe the wood rotted from all the pissing contests they have over there,” Chloe said, and both Rachel and Steph recoiled in disgust.

“Chloe, no,” Rachel scolded like she was talking to an errant puppy.

“I walked through that hole, Chloe,” Steph grumbled. “And you do know pissing contests aren’t literal, right?”

Chloe was about to retort when a cry of, “Stephanie!” rang out, and Victoria Chase came running in the lobby.

“Stephanie?” Chloe parroted, snorting out a laugh at how Steph’s face contorted.

“Oh, this is cute,” Rachel said, looking at Victoria.

“Are you okay?” Victoria asked, ignoring Chloe and Rachel. “Nathan said he saw your car in the parking lot and there was blood in the backseat. Were you…” she trailed off, giving Steph a look over. “Well, it looks like you’re fine.”

“I am,” Steph said, standing up. “It’s not my place to say what happened, but I appreciate that you came by to check on me, Victoria. Nathan is here? Is he okay?”

“Oh! Yes, just here for a checkup,” Victoria replied, managing a smile. “Anyway, I’m going to go see him while I’m here. You know, last night got me thinking of some movies I don’t have in my collection. Maybe you have them in your library?”

“I’ll check when I can,” Steph offered. “Text me?”

“Will do,” Victoria said, leaving with a smile and a wave, both directed at Steph.

When Victoria disappeared into one of the rooms in the hallway, Chloe asked, “What the hell was that?” and Rachel started giggling.

Steph sat back down, looking pensive.

“Victoria Chase likes me.”

“Wait, what?” Chloe said, and Rachel’s giggles turned into outright laughter.

Steph nodded.

“Yeah, I’m still processing it, too.”

“What’s there to process!” Chloe sputtered, animatedly gesturing at the general direction Victoria took. “It’s Victoria fucking Chase!”

“I know you’re in a state of shock, Chloe, but please be a little more quiet about it,” Steph said when other people in the lobby looked their way in annoyance. “And Victoria’s nowhere near as bitchy as she tries so hard to be. She’s just really insecure.”

Chloe continued to flail her hands about, not knowing what to do with Steph’s response. She turned to Rachel for help, but Rachel just cooed at her.

“Rachel,” she whined, motioning at Steph, “fix her.”

“How?” Rachel asked, smiling. “Should I kiss her?”

“Yes,” Steph answered immediately. “Please fix me, Rachel.”

“Hey!” Chloe barked, scooting forward to block Rachel from Steph. “Okay, you know what, go choke on Chase.”

“Chloe Price,” Rachel purred, “are you jealous?”

“Totally jealous,” Steph answered for her, laughing.

In the middle of Chloe sulking and Rachel and Steph enjoying themselves at her expense, Steph’s parents showed up with Mikey and his father. Steph went over to speak with them, and as Chloe and Rachel waited, Rachel’s enthusiasm died down.

“Hey,” Chloe said, noticing it. “Thinking about your mom?”

Rachel sighed, leaning on Chloe.

“Yeah. She just ran off. I’m wondering if I’ll ever see her again.”

Chloe took Rachel’s hand, giving it a squeeze.

“She came all this way to find you. I don’t think she’s just going to disappear. Maybe she just wanted to give Frank a hell of a scare? If she was following us around yesterday, she knows what he did, and if that pissed me off, I can’t even imagine how pissed off a super mom would be. I thought she was gonna eat him back there.”

“I hope not,” Rachel said, crinkling her nose. “He probably tastes as bad as he smells.”

Chloe shuddered.

“That’s gross, and I can barely smell him.”

Rachel laughed, snuggling up to Chloe as she watched Steph being fussed over by her parents.

“Chloe.”

“Yeah?”

“Take me home.”

* * *

When Rose Amber answered the door, she was surprised to see her daughter, and she was even more surprised when her daughter hugged her. It was the sight that greeted James Amber when he emerged from what was left of his office.

“Rachel,” he said, clearing his throat when his voice broke.

Rachel stepped back from Rose, her hand finding Chloe’s as she pulled Chloe closer.

“Chloe, isn’t it?” Rose asked. “I’m glad Rachel isn’t alone.”

“She’s not,” Chloe said with such conviction that it shook James’.

“We tried to call you,” he started awkwardly.

“I broke my phone,” Rachel said, and James nodded.

“Yes. We saw. It’s in pieces, along with the rest of my office. Rachel, I…” he paused to glance at Rose, who urged him on. “There is a lot we have to talk about.”

“Yes, there is,” someone spoke up, and it was Sera, standing behind Rachel and Chloe like she had been there all along. “So we better get started.”

**End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couldn’t work in a kiss, sorry about that. Still gayer than Episode 3, though.
> 
> Maybe in the sequel. Maybe a sequel.


End file.
